As House Republicans plan their 50th vote to undermine or repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republican advisors are recognizing that an obsessive focus on taking away important patient protections may not be the smartest message. Sounds kind of like what we’ve been saying… From the Washington Post:

“Is the Affordable Care Act the Republicans’ golden ticket in this year’s election? Some Republicans worry that their party may be placing too big a bet on it.”

“That strategy could miss the mark, warned Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a possible contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.”

“’I think that’s a huge mistake,’ Jindal added. ‘If we want to earn the majority, we have to be offering detailed policy solutions, detailed ideas of what we would do differently. I don’t think it is enough to say just repeal Obamacare.’”

“Moreover, while the GOP-led House has now cast 49 votes to repeal or strip funding from the health law, surveys show a majority of Americans would rather see it proceed — albeit with course corrections.”

“And a deeper dive into the numbers reveals another paradox. While opposition narrowly outran support for the law in a January Washington Post-ABC News poll, 49-46 percent, respondents by a much larger margin said they trusted Democrats more to handle health care, 44-35 percent.”

“The problems with the law have also receded from the headlines, as the administration has fixed most of the Web site problems that plagued the rollout. Enrollment in the federal and state health insurance marketplaces now exceeds 4 million.”

“Still, nearly every day seems to bring a new round of skirmishing between the parties over the law.”

Instead of continuing a pointless focus on repealing the Affordable Care Act, Republicans should work with Democrats to strengthen the law, and take action on the issues important to Americans – creating jobs and increasing economic opportunities. Maybe hearing this warning from their own party will encourage House Republican leaders to change course…